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I grab Marion’s bag and walk straight into a chest, falling backward almost immediately, before strong arms grab and pull me upright. I close my eyes knowing exactly who it is. Even if I couldn’t smell his woodsy scent, which I can, I could always feel his presence. It used to feel like a sizzling energy, but now it feels like being stabbed.
Groaning in despair, I feel all eyes on me and hear Hayden’s voice in my ear. “It’s alright, I got you.” I turn back to look at him, still avoiding Cash’s gaze, and mumble a thank you before taking off in the direction of the house. I can’t take Hayden’s kindness right now. I just need to be alone.
It’s not until I’m inside that I take a breath, then another, and another. I’m pretty sure I’m hyperventilating.
Grasping my stomach, I drop Marion’s bag with the photo albums and lean against the wall. It’s not that I thought seeing Cash again would be easy, but I didn’t think it would be this damn hard either. How am I going to raise a child with him?
Forget that…in the more immediate future, how the fuck am I going to tell him I’m pregnant?
An animal-like sob escapes my throat just as Carter rounds the corner from the hall. I cover my face, not wanting him to see me. “I’m so sorry. I’ll just leave this here and go back to the party,” I stammer, turning away from him so he won’t see the tears that are about to escape.
Carter doesn’t stop moving. He walks straight up to me, lowers his head so he’s at eye level, and turns my face to his. “Are you okay, Grace?”
Sucking in my lips, I shake my head as my chest burns trying to hold back my sobs.
Carter’s brow furrows and he pulls me against his chest. “Shhh, it’s okay,” he says while stroking my back.
It’s not that I didn’t think he was this nice of a guy, but we never had this relationship. He dated my friend, and he was my boyfriend’s brother, but we never really interacted with one another while alone. Despite all of that, there is something about him that reminds me of Cash, and since I can’t fall apart on Cash, this is comforting.
Finally, my breathing starts to return to normal and I pull back a bit, trying to avoid meeting Carter’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. This was harder than I thought it would be.”
Carter smiles kindly. “You thought seeing Cash again for the first time would be easy?”
I laugh at the ridiculousness of that thought. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking coming tonight.”
He shakes his head with the smile still playing at his lips. “Cat really wanted you here. I’m glad you came.”
I tilt my head in surprise and let out a sad laugh. “Who would have thought Cat would want to see me?”
His smile grows. “Seriously. She was not your biggest fan.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Carter motions to the purse. “Are the photos in there?”
I nod.
“May I?” he asks, picking it up.
“Help yourself.”
“Will you sit with me and look at them?”
I bite back a smile. “Sure. I’d like that.”
Carter motions toward the back porch and I follow him. “Can I grab you a water or something first?”
“That would be good.”
Once again, my hand moves to my stomach, and Carter gives me a knowing glance but says nothing.
My big reveal may not be as much of a secret as I thought.
A few minutes later we sit down on the wicker couch, and I pull out Marion’s album. The first page is a picture of Marion and Hope. Marion had shown me the pictures a few weeks ago, and now it almost feels like a memory, even though I really don’t know if I remember any of these.
Carter’s eyes crease and he smiles, touching his mother’s photo. “Cat looks so much like her, I almost forgot,” he says with a sigh.
“She was really beautiful,” my voice cracks as I speak.
